[StBernard] Hurricane Update From Senator David Vitter

[Westley Annis]

Hurricanes Katrina & Rita

IN THIS ISSUE 

OPERATION BLUE ROOF
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
BRINGING JOBS BACK TO LOUISIANA

When Hurricane Katrina ripped through the greater New Orleans area and much
of southeast Louisiana, it was one of the worst storms in our nation's
history. Then just weeks later, our state took a second major hit when
Hurricane Rita came along to destroy much of southwest Louisiana and our
coast. In the aftermath of these two storms, it's hard to understand the
full effect on our state and how much ruin and heartache await those who
have yet to return home. 

Until you've seen the destruction from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita first
hand, it's hard to comprehend just how vast and expansive the sheer
devastation is to our state after these storms passed. After each storm, I
saw first hand the storm-ravaged areas, surveyed the damage and learned
about the needs from leaders on the ground. I met with officials and saw
several of the affected parishes, including: Jefferson, St. Bernard,
Plaquemines, Tangiphaoa, St. Tammany, Washington, Orleans, East Baton Rouge,
Cameron, Calcasieu, Acadia, Lafayette, Iberia, Vermillion, St. Mary,
Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. And I visited with evacuees in the Baton
Rouge River Center, the Lafayette Cajun Dome and the Lake Charles Civic
Center.

You can view my comments from the floor of the U.S. Senate to my colleagues
upon returning to Washington after seeing the devastation caused by
Hurricane Katrina by clicking here
<http://recap.fednet.net/archive/Buildasx.asp?sProxy=80_sflr091305_023.wmv,8
0_sflr091305_024.wmv,80_sflr091305_025.wmv,80_sflr091305_026.wmv&sTime=00:00

:00.0&eTime=00:03:00&duration=00:17:52.0&UserName=senvitterla&sLocation=I&sE

xpire=1> . My top priority is ensuring that families rebuild their lives in
Louisiana. I've met with business leaders to work on rebuilding the job base
in Louisiana, and you can read more about this effort in this issue.

Following you will find some information that I hope will be useful to help
you and your family in the weeks ahead. It addresses a few of the topics
that make up many of the phone calls that I have received from Louisianians
around the state since Hurricane Katrina.
 <http://www.vitter.senate.gov/images/vitter_signature.gif> 

P.S. - Please feel free to forward this information to your friends and
relatives. 


 

Operation Blue Roof
1-888-ROOF-BLU

Operation Blue Roof is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers program to provide
temporary roofing repairs to residential buildings in the form of blue
plastic sheeting. These temporary repairs allow occupants to remain in their
homes and provide short-term relief until the owner can make permanent
repairs.

The number to call to find out where the closest center is to register for a
blue tarp is 1-888-ROOF-BLU, which is 1-888-766-3258. Homeowners with minor
damage can receive smaller tarps for self-installation from a local
emergency operations center.

To get assistance from Operation Blue Roof, occupants will need to sign a
right-of-entry form, which gives workers permission to enter your property
and make an assessment for placing the plastic covering on a damaged roof.
Interested residents can call a toll free number or visit any right-of-entry
collection center. New locations can be found online at:
http://www.mvd.usace.army.mil/hurricane/chr.php 

Calcasieu Parish

*	Fire Station #2, 201 E. Darbonne St., Sulphur (Daily 9:00 a.m. -
5:30 p.m.)
*	Fire Station #3, 3504 Maplewood Dr., Sulphur (Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:30
p.m.) 
*	Parish Government Building, 1015 Pithon St., Lake Charles (Daily
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.) 
*	University Center, 1001 Central Parkway, Lake Charles (Daily 9:00
a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)
*	United Methodist Church, 737 Sam Houston Jones Pkwy., Moss Bluff
(Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)
*	Vinton City Hall, 1200 Horridge St., Vinton (Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:30
p.m.) 

East Baton Rouge Parish

*	FEMA State Disaster Center, (Disaster Recovery Center #4), 101
France St., Baton Rouge (Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.) 

Iberville Parish

*	Iberville Parish Library, (Disaster Recovery Center #6), 24605 J.
Gerald Berret Blvd. (U.S. Hwy. 1), Plaquemine (Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

Jefferson Parish

*	Kenner Police Department, 500 Veterans Blvd., Kenner (Daily 8:30
a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)
*	Marrero Estelle Volunteer Fire Department, Station 85, 2248
Barataria Blvd., Marrero (Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)
*	Terrytown Volunteer Fire Department, Fire Station 53, 200 Wall
Blvd., Gretna (Daily 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)
*	East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie (Daily
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) 

Lafourche Parish

*	Jake's Department Store, (Disaster Recovery Center #14), 513 St.
Mary St., Thibodaux (Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)
*	Ward #10 Annex, 101 West 112th St., Galliano (Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:30
p.m.)

Orleans Parish

*	L.B. Landry High School, (Disaster Recovery Center #13), 1200 L.B.
Landry Ave., Algiers (Daily 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.) 

Plaquemines Parish

*	Belle Chasse Auditorium, (Disaster Recovery Center #9), 8346 Highway
23, Belle Chasse (Daily 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.)

St. Charles Parish

*	Bingo Hall, (Disaster Recovery Center #16), 13145 Highway 90, Boutte
(Daily 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

St. James Parish

*	Lions Club Building, (Disaster Recovery Center #15), 29126 Health
Unit St., Vacherie (Daily 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.) 

St. John the Baptist Parish

*	LaPlace Disaster Recovery Center, (Disaster Recovery Center #19),
160 Belle Terre Blvd., LaPlace (Daily 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

St. Tammany Parish

*	Slidell Memorial Hospital, Founders Medical Building, 1150 Robert
Rd., Slidell (Daily 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)
*	Church of the King, 22205 Little Creek Rd., Mandeville (Mon.-Fri.
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sun., 1:30 p.m. - 5:30
p.m.)
*	John Slidell Municipal Park Recreation Center, (Disaster Recovery
Center #12), 105 Robert Rd., Slidell (Daily 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

Tangipahoa Parish

*	Old Winn Dixie Building, 727 West Oak, Amite (Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:30
p.m.) 

Washington Parish

*	First Baptist Church, Highway 62, Pine (Daily 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.)
*	Living Word Christian Church, (Disaster Recovery Center #10), 539
Avenue V, Bogalusa (Daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)
*	Hillcrest Baptist Church, (Disaster Recovery Center #11), 2001 E.
Washington St., Franklinton (Daily 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.) 
	

 

Frequently Asked Questions

I have heard from many of you about your frustrations dealing with the
bureaucracy of FEMA and the Red Cross, and I am sorry to hear of the
circumstances involved. I am aware of the problems that you face getting
through the red tape of these organizations and want you to know that I am
working behind the scenes to address these frustrations and to make things
easier for you and your family in the rebuilding process.

Because this is an ongoing, and likely lengthy process, you may find it
advantageous to create a notebook or centralized file for FEMA and/or your
private insurer to keep detailed records of all your correspondence,
including phone conversations, letters and emails. Pertinent information
will include the phone numbers, dates, times and names of the people who
assist you and the specific details and deadlines they provide. While at
first it may be cumbersome to record all of this information, it provides an
added protection for you should you be provided with inconsistent or
contradictory information from different people at FEMA or your private
insurer.

Many of the questions that I'm hearing from you can be addressed in the
following topics:

FEMA Individual Assistance: Common reasons for denial from FEMA include
damage and losses covered by insurance, ineligible property damage
(landscaping and trees down), ineligible losses (spoiled food), claims for a
secondary home or applicants who live outside a declaration area. If your
application is considered "not yet eligible," it could be because your
application is still in process, you were unable to provide a description of
your damages, your insurance paperwork is incomplete or your residence or
ownership is not yet verified.

If you filled out an application for FEMA individual assistance, but have
been denied, you can appeal the decision. Read the denial letter carefully
and then explain in writing why you think the decision about the amount or
type of assistance you received is not correct. Include your FEMA
registration number and disaster number (shown at the top of your decision
letter) in your letter of appeal. You can send it by fax to 800-827-8112 or
you can mail it to FEMA - Individuals & Households program, National
Processing Service Center, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782-7055.
If you have questions about your denial, you can always contact the FEMA
Helpline at 800-621-3362. Or you can go in person to appeal a FEMA decision
at a nearby Disaster Recovery Center and speak with a FEMA representative.
You should also bring all information mentioned above needed to appeal a
decision.

Temporary Housing: To be eligible for FEMA's temporary housing - whether
through housing vouchers or temporary trailers - you must first register
with the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-FEMA (3362) or at a nearby Disaster
Recovery Center. Ask the agent to check rental resources in your desired
location. If you are eligible for housing assistance from FEMA but there are
no rental resources in your area, you may be able to receive a travel
trailer or a mobile home for up to 18 months from the date of declaration if
you continue to have a disaster related housing need. Please let FEMA know
whether you have room on your property for a travel trailer or a mobile home
or would need to be placed in a nearby trailer city.

Red Cross: Red Cross assistance is designed to provide for the emergency
needs of food, water, shelter and emotional support, until more long-term
help is made available by the federal government. Financial assistance
ranges from $360 for an individual to $1,565 for a family of five or more.
To quality for financial assistance, clients must have pre-disaster
addresses that are verified by the Red Cross to be in an affected area.
There are currently three ways for hurricane victims to register for Red
Cross financial assistance: Call the toll-free financial hotline at
1-800-975-7585 if located in an area affected by a storm; visit an American
Red Cross service center, where available (list follows); or visit a local
Red Cross chapter in locations outside of the affected areas. The Red Cross
has expanded the ways it provides financial assistance to accommodate the
nearly one million victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita who are spread out
across the country. 

Red Cross Service Centers:

Bossier Parish

*	[Northwest Louisiana] American Red Cross Chapter, 4221 Linwood
Avenue, Shreveport

East Baton Rouge Parish 

*	Bellemont Great Hall, 7370 Airline Hwy. (Corner of Winborne &
Airline Hwy), Baton Rouge (8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

Franklin Parish

*	First United Pentecostal Church, Family Life Center, 2510 Loop Rd.,
Winnsboro; (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)

Jefferson Parish

*	Best Western Hotel, 1700 Lapalco Blvd., Harvey

Lafayette Parish

*	Cajun Dome, 444 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette

Livingston Parish

*	North Park Recreation Center, 30372 Eden Church Rd., Denham Springs
(8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

Madison Parish

*	Tallulah Madison Community Center, Beech & Darrow, Tallulah (1:00
p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

Richland Parish

*	Rayville Civic Center, 827 Louisa Rd., Rayville 

St. Mary Parish

*	Old Eckerd's Drug Store, Brown Shopping Center, 1815 Highway 182,
Franklin (8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

St. Tammany Parish

*	Drive-Thru Client Assistance Center, 1000 Caruso, Slidell (9:00 a.m.
to 7:00 p.m.)
*	Mandeville Civic Center, 3090 E. Causeway Approach, Mandeville (8:00
a.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

Tensas Parish

*	Welfare Office, 205 12 St., St. Joseph (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)

Terrebonne Parish

*	Village East Fire Department, 99 Development St., Houma (8:00 a.m.
to 6:00 p.m.)
*	First Baptist Church, 3644 W. Main St., Gray (8:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m.)

Union Parish

*	Farmersville Recreation Center, 116 Cox Ferry Rd., Farmersville

Washington Parish

*	American Legion, 63349 Highway 10 Bogalusa

West Carroll Parish

*	Church of God, Family Life Center, 200 S. Briggs St., Oak Grove
(5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)
	

 

Bringing Back Jobs to Louisiana

On Friday, September 30, I joined a group of Louisiana business leaders to
announce a concrete statement of commitment to bring jobs back to Louisiana.

This is just the beginning of a concerted effort to bring jobs and people
back to Louisiana. Our announcement represents our early successes, but this
is by no means a comprehensive list. We have just started the process of
getting business leaders signed onto this statement of commitment, and we
look forward to seeing many additional businesses come forward and join our
efforts to rebuild the job base so people have jobs when they return.

Visit http://vitter.senate.gov <http://www.vitter.senate.gov/press
releases/PRBusinessleaders093005.htm>  to read more about the statement of
commitment from local businesses and to see a list of the companies
committed to rebuilding in southeast Louisiana.